The Directed Energy Directorate places great emphasis on integrating and transitioning research technologies into military systems used by operational commands and maintained by the Air Force Research Laboratory's parent organization, Air Force Materiel Command.

The Directorate is organized into six technical divisions:

The Advanced Optics & Imaging Division develops techniques and technologies to improve optical systems, and then transition those systems to war-fighting commands. The Division also is working on systems that will accurately place a beam of laser light on a target such as an attacking missile. Much of this research is in support of the Air Force's Airborne Laser program.

The High-Power Microwave Division is the Air Force's center of excellence for high-power microwave technologies, managing all research and development in that area. This includes high-power microwave hardware and systems, as well as protection against an aggressor's microwave systems.

The Laser Division is the Department of Defense's center of expertise for the development of lasers and for getting those technologies to U.S. military forces. Included are semiconductor, gas, chemical, and solid-state lasers.

The Optical Surveillance Division provides research and development for leading-edge space capabilities to enhance the United States' space mission.

The Starfire Optical Range Division operates a facility that includes a 3.5-meter telescope, one of the largest in the world able to image satellites passing quickly overhead. The facility also uses lasers and adaptive optics as part of its research for obtaining high-resolution images of objects in space.

The Program Integration Division assesses potential applications and effects of systems incorporating directed energy technologies. The Division also manages the strategic development of the Directed Energy Directorate.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is responsible for research and technology development in support of the Air Force's future and existing aerospace and space weapons systems. Comprised of nine technology directorates and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Research Laboratory has nearly 6,500 military and civilian employees at nine bases throughout the United States.